Shirli Gilbert’s book is a narrative of displacement, survival, and an unlikely friendship in the wake of the Holocaust, via an astonishing collection of letters discovered in a forgotten trunk. Ambassador Yitzchak Mayer’s story – a lyrical letter from a wife to her missing husband in 1943 – recounts an unforgettable chapter in history with powerful contemporary relevance.

Shirli Gilbert is a Professor of Modern History at the University of Southampton, and a specialist in modern Jewish history with a focus on the Holocaust. Her book, Music in the Holocaust, examines the role of music in the Nazi ghettos and camps; it formed the basis of the educational website, Music and the Holocaust, a documentary feature on BBC Radio 3 and a concert at London’s Wigmore Hall. Her recent research explores the ways in which the Holocaust shaped understandings of and responses to apartheid in South Africa.

Yitzchak Mayer has served as director of the Yemin Orde Youth Village and as Israeli ambassador to Belgium and Switzerland. He is senior adviser to the Center for Strategic Dialogue at Netanya Academic College and writes on social and political matters for the Israeli press.

Jenni Frazer’s award-winning career in journalism has spanned over 30 years, during which she has performed nearly every kind of role, from news reporter to bureau chief, from editing and commissioning to running a team of reporters. She has interviewed many major celebrities and been a media commentator on UK radio and TV, including News 24 and The World Tonight for the BBC.

This event will take place at JW3, to book tickets please visit the JW3 website or book by phone on 020 7433 8988.